Dilpreet Banwait: Could Our IVF Laboratory Consumables Be Introducing Microplastics into Sperm Samples?
Dilpreet Banwait, Trainee Embryologist at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Yu Su et al. published in Environment and Health:
“Could our IVF laboratory consumables be introducing microplastics into sperm samples?
A question worth investigating in reproductive medicine.
A 2025 study published in Environment and Health examined an often-overlooked aspect of assisted reproduction: microplastic contamination during laboratory handling of testicular sperm.
Researchers identified polystyrene microplastic particles in sperm specimens collected during mechanical testicular sperm retrieval. Their investigation found that scratching plastic Petri dishes with retrieval instruments could release particles that were subsequently recovered alongside sperm cells.
This raises important questions for andrology laboratories.
Where could contamination occur?
- During mechanical testicular sperm retrieval
- Through contact between laboratory instruments and plasticware
- During the handling and processing of reproductive samples
But detecting contamination is only the beginning.
We still need to establish whether these particles affect sperm function, fertilisation, embryo development, or subsequent clinical outcomes.
It is equally important to distinguish microplastic particles from chemicals that may leach from plastics, as these represent different potential exposures.
For andrology and ART laboratories, this opens up an important area for investigation: should the materials used in routine laboratory procedures be evaluated more closely for potential particle contamination?
As reproductive medicine continues to refine sperm selection and handling techniques, perhaps material safety deserves a closer look, too.
Could microplastic contamination become an overlooked variable in ART laboratory quality control?
I’d be interested to hear the perspectives of embryologists, andrologists, and reproductive researchers.”
Title: Microplastic Contamination of Human Sperm before In Vitro Fertilization Warrants Attention for Early Life Exposure Risks
Authors: Yu Su, Chenqi Yang, Hong Liao, Zhenbo Zhang, Yuan Xu, Yang Zhao, Yanhua Wang, Dayong Wang, Lei Wang, Rong Ji, Xiaoli Zhao, Baoshan Xing
You can read the Full Article in Environment and Health.
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